Stroke is a medical hazard for Asian Americans. It can even strike Asian Americans as young as 33. Which Asian Americans are the most vulnerable? The American Heart Association reports that heart disease and stroke risks vary significantly among Asian American subgroups. A study outlined in this press release has found that prevalence of risk factors like high blood pressure ranges widely between these groups. As an example, Filipino Americans have 30% incidence of high blood pressure compared to only 12% in Chinese Americans.
The PANACHE (Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and Asian American Cardiovascular Health Epidemiology) study looked at the health records of 700,000 AAPI enrolled in large private health systems. Diabetes prevalence was another area of variation. It is much more prevalent in Pacific Islanders (14%) vs Chinese Americans (5%). Generally, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and other Southeast Asian populations had the highest 10 year risk for cardiovascular disease.
You can find out more details in the links we have provided. The actual posters for what was presented at the American Heart Association conference can be found here (search for PANACHE). As mentioned above, we reviewed a book about an Asian American who had a stroke at 33 (written by former 8Asians writer Christine Hyung-Oak Lee) called Tell Me Everything You Don’t Remember.
